rtition was soon made.
Neither the clerk nor the attorney was sent for. They would soon have
eaten up all the poor patrimony. The eldest had the mill, the second the
ass, and the youngest nothing but the cat.

The poor young fellow was quite comfortless at having so poor a lot. "My
brothers," said he, "may get their living handsomely enough by joining
their stocks together; but for my part, when I have eaten up my cat and
made me a muff of his skin, I must die with hunger."

The cat, who heard all this, but made as if he did not, said to him with
a grave and serious air; "Do not thus afflict yourself, my good master;
you have nothing else to do but to give me a bag and get a pair of
boots made for me, that I may scamper through the dirt and the brambles,
and you shall see that you have not so bad a portion of me as you
imagine."

Though the cat's master did not build very much upon what he said, he
had, however, often seen him play a great many cunning tricks to catch
rats and mice; as when he used to hang by the heels, or hide himself in
the meal and make as if he were dead; so he did not altogether despair
of his affording him some help in his miserable condition.

When the cat had what he asked for, he booted himself very gallantly;
and putting his bag about his neck, he held the strings of it in his two
fore paws and went into a warren where was a great abundance of rabbits.
He put bran and sow-thistles into his bag, and, stretching himself out
at length as if he had been dead, he waited for some young rabbits, not
yet acquainted with the deceits of the world, to come and rummage his
bag for what he had just put into it.

Scarce was he lain down but he had what he wanted. A rash and foolish
young rabbit jumped into his bag, and master Puss, immediately drawing
close the strings, took and killed him without pity. Proud of his prey,
he went with it to the palace and asked to speak with his majesty. He
was shown upstairs into the king's apartment, and, making a low
reverence, said to him: "I have brought you, sir, a rabbit of the warren
which my noble lord, the Marquis of Carabas" (for that was the title
which Puss was pleased to give his master), "has commanded me to present
to your majesty from him."

"Tell thy master," said the king, "that I thank him and that he gives me
a great deal of pleasure."

Another time he went and hid himself among some standing corn, holding
still his bag open; and when a brace of